Where do ideas come from?

Wednesday 23rd June 2010 | 7 comments

I was listening to an audiobook the other day, and the guy was talking about some research he'd seen. It was all about mathematicians and scientific types describing how they came up with their creative ideas. It seems that creativity happens in the space between other thoughts, in those moments when the mental chatter, day-to-day concerns and external stimuli drop away. This is why we get so many of our good ideas in the shower or when waking or when out walking the dog.

I haven't tracked down the underlying research yet, but it all makes great sense to me.

You can't think creatively - or at all, really - when your mind is full of chatter and your external reality is full of too much stimulation. You know the thing - what the Buddhists call monkey mind, lots of self talk from a mental 'to do' list to 'I'm so dumb, why did I do/say/not do/not say that?' to 'Why is that person looking at me like that' to 'I wish it was Friday today' and so on and so on. Add in the sounds, sights and smells from a busy surrounding world, and it's a wonder we ever have an original idea. (It's actually a wonder that we stay sane some days, but that's another story...)

The paradox is that often we need some stimuli to start the process, but then we need to stop the stimuli to recognise the idea and make space for it to take a shape we can play with.

So, how can you put space into your (busy) day? Here's a quick list of ideas:

  1. Close your eyes, bring your attention inwards, and focus on your breathing for a minute or two (not while driving, though).
  2. Change tasks for 30 minutes (or more if you can), leaving your ideas to simmer away on the back burner.
  3. If you have a meditation practice, you will already know how helpful this is for clearing the mind and allowing new stuff to surface.
  4. Do something practical, hands-on, something that takes the focus away from thinking - maybe clean out a cupboard or cook a familiar dish. Even drawing your dilemma as a mindmap or a picture can do wonders, as can using plasticine to give it shape.
  5. Do something physical, like going for a walk - recent neuroscience research suggests that exercise builds new brain connections, and we all know it's good for our general health, so it's a win-win, really.
  6. Listen to music. For me, Bach cello or Chopin piano does the creative trick, but I'm prepared to be persuaded that Metallica works for you...
  7. Can you juggle? if so, it can be quite meditative, and has been proven to build connections between right and left brain. If you can't juggle, however, you will find the whole thing just really really irritating!
  8. If you are in a group, maybe a brainstorming meeting at work, suggest a few minutes of silent time. This can do wonders for creative thought.
  9. Just becoming aware of the internal chatter and thoughts, and especially becoming aware that they are only thoughts of the mind, not the mind itself, can put space between 'you' and 'your thoughts'. This may seem a bit out there or metaphysical, but it's actually about basic mindfulness, which is essential for sustained creativity.

I'd love to hear your thoughts - where do you get your ideas?

Tags: ideas, creativity, meditation

Comments

  1. Hi, Joanna. Walking the dogs has given me some of my best blog posts. And letting source materials incubate overnight in my subconscious has generated some of my best headlines. It's so reliable, it's like setting bread to mix. Come morning, there's your loaf! :)

    Posted by Paul Hassing | Wednesday 23rd June 2010 @ 12:39pm

  2. Thanks Paul, I wish my subconscious was as reliable. I set it to mix overnight and in the morning, half the time it's just...mush. (But the other half of the time, it's spot on!)

    Posted by Joanna Maxwell | Wednesday 23rd June 2010 @ 12:53pm

  3. I've heard that our subconscious mind works best while our conscious mind is 'distracted' by menial tasks.

    ie: I usually get pretty rad ideas while washing the dishes; my wife loves this. Sometimes, I get brilliant ideas while walking. This typically turns my walk into a jog - I want to get home asap to develop the idea more!

    Posted by Joshua Gordon | Thursday 24th June 2010 @ 4:15am

  4. Hi Joanna,
    With so many different projects requiring creative thinking, I tend to take a problem to bed. I think about why it's a problem and then sleep. I generally wake almost every morning around 2am with an idea - a bedside note pad to jot down my thoughts allows me to get back to sleep. Thank heavens!

    Posted by Susan Griffiths | Thursday 24th June 2010 @ 9:12am

  5. Thanks Joshua and Susan, great comments. I'm not sure I have ever had happy thoughts while washing dishes :), but I know many who find it soothing and productive! Sleeping and walking are both faves of mine...

    Posted by Joanna Maxwell | Thursday 24th June 2010 @ 9:22am

  6. Hi Joanna,
    One thing that sometimes works for me is visually laying out a whole bunch of disparate bits of information on a big board (as one one do in storyboarding, and kind of links to your points 4 & 5). And, then playing with these bits (e.g., pieces of paper) , shifting them around, and sometimes ideas, e.g., patterns, connections... emerge that weren't consciously grasped before. It's a 2-step process: collect info, experiment with it, visually.

    Posted by Ben Ziegler | Tuesday 29th June 2010 @ 6:30am

  7. I like this, Ben. It's a bit like something I do with post-it notes, putting one thought per note, then playing with them. Anything you can move around, to see where it might find a home, is helpful to me. Thanks for the comment!

    Posted by Joanna Maxwell | Tuesday 29th June 2010 @ 8:17am

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